Kale Colcannon Recipe

For St. Patrick’s Day, I’m turning to classic Irish-inspired dinners to get me through the last (hopefully!) of the cold days of winter. Meals made of potatoes, cabbage, and kale are seasonal, relatively nutritious, and economical, and we’re having fun making dishes with wonky names like boxty, coddle, champ, and colcannon. What even is colcannon?

Colcannon happens to be my favourite of the lot—how can you go wrong with butter-toasted kale mixed into creamy mashed potatoes? It also happens to be a great way to get greens into the kids, because when chopped finely enough the kale might look a little more like fresh herbs instead of hearty greens, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

If you’re interested in learning a little more about Irish cooking, Rachel’s Irish Family Food by Rachel Allen is a great resource, as is Irish Traditional Cooking by Darina Allen.

Do you have a favourite Irish-inspired dish to make for your family? This colcannon recipe is about to become one of them.

Servings:

Serves 4

Kale Colcannon Recipe

You’ll Need

4 russet or Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
Salt
5 Tbsp butter, divided
3-4 cups finely chopped kale (or cabbage or Swiss chard)
3 green onions
1 cup milk or light cream
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Pepper

Prep and Cook

1

Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water.
Add a large pinch of salt and place over high heat.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
Drain the potatoes and return the pot to the stove.
2

Place 4 tablespoons of the butter in the pot to melt.
Add the kale and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes.
Add the green onions and cook for one minute more.
Pour the milk into the pot and cook until warmed through.
3

Return the potatoes to the pot and mash with the back of a wooden spoon or potato masher.
Add the parsley and season well with salt and pepper.
4

Spoon the warm potatoes into a serving bowl and top with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Serve warm.